Wes Lee On Progression Of Black Representation In WWE

Wes Lee recently etched his name into the history books by becoming the North American Champion at Halloween Havoc, but he admitted to the "Getting Over: Wrestling Podcast" that even being part of the company in the first place was a "very far-fetched goal." This was down to his size, and also because there wasn't a lot of representation when it came to people of color on the roster as he was growing up.

"I know that we have had a lot of progression with people of color in WWE over the years and it's absolutely beautiful, and I am blessed to be part of that myself," Lee said. "But, at first it didn't seem like that was a possibility. There have been numerous people that have knocked down a lot of doors to make it a lot easier for younger generations for people of color to really be successful with this, and I am 100% a product of that, and I hope that I can put that further along."

While there weren't as many people of color on WWE television when Lee grew up, he credits the likes of Booker T and R-Truth for showcasing that it was possible for him. Lee recently got to work with Truth on "WWE NXT" when the WWE veteran appeared on the show, and Lee praised him for being "the first person of color that was authentically himself."

"Seeing certain individuals on my TV screen kind of put it into my mind that it was possible," he said. "[R-Truth]'s had an illustrious career across the board no matter where he was, because of his talent, his ability, his charisma is off the charts to the point where you can't keep a mic out of that man's hand." 

If you use any quotes from this article, please credit "Getting Over: Wrestling Podcast" with  H/T to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.